PISA, A clear defeat for Cremonese, beaten 3-1 by Pisa in the seventh round of Serie B. The Grigiorossi conceded to Tramoni after three minutes, equalised through Berti, but collapsed in the final stages with goals from Moreo and Marras. The loss on Saturday 17 October confirms a difficult start to the season, with the team now 16th in Serie B on 6 points, from one win, three draws and three losses.
Fabio Pecchia's side, now 16th in the table with 6 points, showed decisive defensive fragility. Pisa had twice as many shots on target and an xG of 2.39 against Cremonese's 0.51, numbers that explain the result. In the league, Cremonese have scored just 6 and conceded 10 goals, with a -4 goal difference, and find themselves 13 points behind the leaders Palermo.
How the match unfolded
Pisa took the lead in the 3rd minute with a quick move: a cross from Stefano Moreo and a header from Matteo Tramoni that beat Fulignati. Cremonese reacted and found the equaliser in the 32nd minute thanks to Tommaso Berti, set up by Jari Vandeputte after a move down the right.
The match remained balanced until a quarter of an hour from the end, when Pisa's second goal changed everything. Pecchia commented: "The second goal from Pisa broke the balance." Stefano Moreo made it 2-1 in the 79th minute, capitalising on a lost ball in midfield. The final blow came from Tommaso Marras, who scored on a counter-attack in the 88th minute.
The choices and the consequences
Pecchia lined up the team in a 4-1-4-1, confirming Marco Nasti as the lone striker. The player came off at half-time due to injury, replaced by Adrian Ličina. Subsequent substitutions did not bring a turnaround.
The defeat ends a positive run of results that included a Coppa Italia win against Juventus. Cremonese have scored 6 and conceded 10 goals this season, with a -4 goal difference. They are now called to an immediate reaction. In their last five league games, the team has recorded two wins, two draws and one loss, with the sequence of results including the 0-0 draw with Arezzo, the 1-0 win over Juventus, the 3-2 victory at Monza and the 0-0 draw with Virtus Entella.
The next fixture is on Saturday, October 24 at the Stadio Giovanni Zini against Juve Stabia, currently 18th. A win is essential to climb the standings and move closer to safety. Striker Franco Bonazzoli, the team's top scorer with 3 goals, will be a key man for the recovery.
